Kyoto protocol | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/kyoto-protocol
Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:52:00 GMT2015-03-04T00:52:00Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
EU wants Paris climate deal to cut carbon emissions 60% by 2050http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/23/eu-wants-paris-climate-deal-to-cut-carbon-emissions-60-by-2050
<p>A major UN climate summit in Paris later this year should call on countries to make tough carbon cuts to avoid dangerous global warming, EU document says</p><p>The world’s states should commit to a legally binding emissions cut of 60% by 2050, with five-yearly reviews, in a Paris Protocol to replace the moribund Kyoto agreement at a climate summit later this year, according to a leaked EU document.</p><p>But environmentalists have questioned the integrity of the headline 60% figure, and a strategy which is seen as overly-tilted towards the US.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/23/eu-wants-paris-climate-deal-to-cut-carbon-emissions-60-by-2050">Continue reading...</a>Global climate talksEnvironmentClimate changeCop 20: UN climate change conference | LimaCOP 21: UN climate change conference | ParisGreenhouse gas emissionsEuropean UnionEuropeWorld newsKyoto protocolMon, 23 Feb 2015 16:32:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/23/eu-wants-paris-climate-deal-to-cut-carbon-emissions-60-by-2050Photograph: Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty ImagesFrench President Francois Hollande delivers a speech at the Agriculture and Climate Change International Forum in Paris, on 20 February, 2015.Arthur Neslen in Brussels2015-02-23T16:32:49ZAustralia could increase emissions 26% and still meet Kyoto pledge, says climate grouphttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/12/australia-could-increase-emissions-26-and-still-meet-kyoto-pledge
<p>Anomaly due to carbon accounting rules, says Climate Action Tracker, as it accused Australia of going to ‘considerable diplomatic effort’ to ‘hide’ its true emissions levels</p><p>Australia may be able to increase its industrial emissions by 26% by 2020 and still easily meet its Kyoto protocol targets, new analysis released at the Lima climate talks suggests.<br /></p><p>The reason for the apparent anomaly is because it has secured a succession of advantageous deals on how land use is credited in carbon accounting rules, according to the Climate Action Tracker group.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/12/australia-could-increase-emissions-26-and-still-meet-kyoto-pledge">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeClimate changeAustralia newsGreenhouse gas emissionsEnvironmentCop 20: UN climate change conference | LimaGlobal climate talksAustralian politicsFossil fuelsKyoto protocolFri, 12 Dec 2014 07:43:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/12/australia-could-increase-emissions-26-and-still-meet-kyoto-pledgePhotograph: Paul Crock/AFP/Getty ImagesHazelwood power station billows smoke from its exhaust stacks in the Latrobe Valley, 150km east of Melbourne.Photograph: Paul Crock/AFP/Getty ImagesHazelwood power station billows smoke from its exhaust stacks in the Latrobe Valley, 150km east of Melbourne.Graham Readfearn in Lima and Lenore Taylor2014-12-12T07:43:32ZBrazil should take lead on climate, not just broker talkshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/04/brazil-climate-talks-emissions-agreement
<p>Country’s efforts to keep negotiations moving towards a global agreement should be backed by robust action on cutting emissions and embracing renewables <br></p><p>Over the past two decades, Brazil has developed a tradition for helping move international climate negotiations forward at critical moments. However, in the face of climate emergency, lack of ambition and a set of shy measures towards carbon emission reductions can neutralise the best ideas and great diplomatic role played by the country.</p><p>At the time of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/mar/11/kyoto-protocol">the Kyoto protocol</a>, Brazil came up with the idea of a clean development fund, now the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/jul/26/clean-development-mechanism">clean development mechanism</a>, for helping developing countries engage in cutting emissions . It has also put on the table a bold, if controversial, proposal for burden-sharing based on historical responsibilities for the warming we’ve seen so far.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/04/brazil-climate-talks-emissions-agreement">Continue reading...</a>Cop 20: UN climate change conference | LimaGlobal climate talksKyoto protocolCopenhagen climate change conference 2009Climate changeGreenhouse gas emissionsBrazilAmericasAmazon rainforestDeforestationEnvironmentThu, 04 Dec 2014 16:02:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/04/brazil-climate-talks-emissions-agreementPhotograph: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesSmoke from a brush fire lingers over a deforested section of the Amazon in Maranhao state, Brazil. Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is on the rise.Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesSmoke from a brush fire lingers over a deforested section of the Amazon in Maranhao state, Brazil. Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is on the rise.Carlos Rittl2014-12-04T16:02:49ZNew climate deal push will not repeat Copenhagen mistakes – UN envoyhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/22/new-climate-deal-push-will-not-repeat-copenhagen-mistakes-un-envoy
<p>Ahead of Ban Ki-moon’s climate summit in New York, Mary Robinson plays down no-show by Chinese and Indian leaders</p><p>Efforts to forge a new global agreement on global warming will not repeat the mistakes that dogged the landmark climate summit in Copenhagen five years ago, Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy on climate change has vowed.<br /></p><p>“This is a different environment to Copenhagen,” <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48265#.VCBEl0JhsWA">Mary Robinson</a>, the former president of Ireland, told the Guardian. “Pressure on leaders for an agreement is building up more than 12 months ahead. I think leaders realise they need to have transformative change.”<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/22/new-climate-deal-push-will-not-repeat-copenhagen-mistakes-un-envoy">Continue reading...</a>Global climate talksClimate changeEnvironmentUnited NationsWorld newsUS newsNew YorkChinaIndiaCopenhagen climate change conference 2009Kyoto protocolGreenhouse gas emissionsMon, 22 Sep 2014 16:03:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/22/new-climate-deal-push-will-not-repeat-copenhagen-mistakes-un-envoyPhotograph: Martin Argles/Martin ArglesMary Robinson, Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy on climate change: ‘This is a different environment to Copenhagen’Photograph: Martin Argles/Martin ArglesMary Robinson, Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy on climate change: ‘This is a different environment to Copenhagen’Fiona Harvey2014-09-22T16:03:41ZStopping climate meltdown needs the political courage that saved the ozone layer | George Monbiothttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2014/sep/11/stopping-climate-meltdown-needs-the-political-courage-that-saved-the-ozone-layer
<p>Governments dither on the solution to global warming – but the Montreal protocol is a reminder of a time when they took their hands out of their pockets</p><p>In The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, a comedy made in 1971, Spike Milligan portrays Sloth as a tramp trying to get through a farm gate. This simple task is rendered almost impossible by the fact that he can’t be bothered to take his hands out of his pockets and open the latch. He tries everything: getting over it, under it, through it, hurling himself at it, risking mortal injury, expending far more energy and effort than the obvious solution would require.</p><p>This is how environmental diplomacy works. Governments gather to discuss an urgent problem and propose everything except the obvious solution – legislation. The last thing our self-hating states will contemplate is what they are empowered to do: govern. They will launch endless talks and commissions, devise elaborate market mechanisms, even offer massive subsidies to encourage better behaviour, rather than simply say “we’re stopping this”.</p><p>atmospheric levels of ozone depleting substances could have increased tenfold by 2050</p><p> will have prevented 2 million cases of skin cancer annually by 2030</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2014/sep/11/stopping-climate-meltdown-needs-the-political-courage-that-saved-the-ozone-layer">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentOzone layerClimate changeGlobal climate talksGreen politicsWorld newsKyoto protocolThu, 11 Sep 2014 15:08:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2014/sep/11/stopping-climate-meltdown-needs-the-political-courage-that-saved-the-ozone-layerPhotograph: NASAThe largest ozone layer hole, in 2006Photograph: NASAThe largest ozone layer hole, in 2006George Monbiot2014-09-11T15:08:50ZClimate change talks: no minister to represent Australiahttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/07/climate-change-talks-no-minister-represent-australia
Neither Greg Hunt nor Julie Bishop will be at vital talks in Warsaw next week, breaking tradition going back to 1997<p>Australia will have no government minister at the main United Nations climate negotiations next week, for the first time since the Kyoto accord in 1997.</p><p>Diplomat Justin Lee, Australia’s ambassador for climate change, will represent the country at international talks in Poland, which are seen as vital to laying the groundwork for a global agreement to cut carbon emissions.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/07/climate-change-talks-no-minister-represent-australia">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeGreg HuntAustralia newsAustralian politicsJohn HowardJulie BishopKyoto protocolCopenhagen climate change conference 2009Thu, 07 Nov 2013 01:45:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/07/climate-change-talks-no-minister-represent-australiaPhotograph: Alan Porritt/AAPGreg Hunt: won't be in Warsaw. Photograph: Alan Porritt/AAPPhotograph: Alan Porritt/AAPGreg Hunt during a press conference in Canberra, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013. Photograph: Alan Porritt/AAPOliver Milman2013-11-07T01:45:11ZBig business funds effort to discredit climate science, warns UN officialhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/20/big-business-funding-climate-change-sceptics
Climate change summit braced for counterblast from sceptics as report warns greenhouse gas emissions still increasing<p><strong> </strong></p><p>Big companies are paying contrarians to undermine the work of climate scientists, according to a top UN official speaking before the release of a landmark review of climate science this weekby international researchers next Friday.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/20/big-business-funding-climate-change-sceptics">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeClimate changeEnvironmentKyoto protocolGlobal climate talksFossil fuelsEnergyExxon MobilBusinessGeneral MotorsClimate change scepticismIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)Greenhouse gas emissionsFri, 20 Sep 2013 19:08:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/20/big-business-funding-climate-change-scepticsFREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty ImagesHazy and polluted day in Beijing. The 1997 Kyoto protocol placed no obligations on key developing countries such as China, now the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Photograph: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty ImagesFREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty ImagesHazy and polluted day in Beijing. The 1997 Kyoto protocol placed no obligations on key developing countries such as China, now the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Photograph: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty ImagesFiona Harvey and Graham Readfearn2013-09-20T19:08:51ZReal market forces now drive action on climate change | Graciela Chichilniskyhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/21/real-market-forces-action-climate-change
After years of frustration, circumstances are shifting from a global climate treaty serving as the sole impetus<p>Fifteen years after <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/11/kyoto-protocol" title="">the Kyoto protocol</a> was signed and just months <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/08/doha-climate-change-deal-nations" title="">after being extended</a>, a true global carbon trading marketplace may finally be within the world's grasp.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/21/real-market-forces-action-climate-change">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeEnvironmentKyoto protocolGlobal climate talksEmissions tradingThu, 21 Mar 2013 17:26:58 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/21/real-market-forces-action-climate-changeCharlie Riedel/AP'The sticking point has been the difficulty in creating a truly global carbon marketplace.' Photograph: Charlie Riedel/APCharlie Riedel/APThe CO2 emissions study focuses on emissions from burning fossil fuels and cement production. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/APGraciela Chichilnisky2013-03-21T17:26:58ZBan Ki-moon: climate agreement tops 2013 wishlisthttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/22/ban-ki-moon-climate-agreement
The UN chief said global warming, along with ending the Syrian crisis, were his priorities among an ambitious list of hopes<p>The UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon says his top hopes for 2013 are to reach a new agreement on climate change and to urgently end the increasingly deadly and divisive war in Syria.</p><p>The UN chief told the Associated Press that he's also hoping for progress in getting the global economy humming again, restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, promoting political solutions in Mali, Congo and the Central African Republic, and providing energy, food and water to all people.'</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/22/ban-ki-moon-climate-agreement">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeEnvironmentBan Ki-moonWorld newsGlobal climate talksKyoto protocolSyriaUnited NationsTue, 22 Jan 2013 10:32:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/22/ban-ki-moon-climate-agreementDamir Sagolj/AFP/Getty ImagesBan Ki-moon laid out an ambitious wishlist in an interview before heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/AFP/Getty ImagesDamir Sagolj/AFP/Getty ImagesConference call … UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has been sent a clear message that Unctad needs an greater intellectual independence. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/AFP/Getty ImagesAssociated Press2013-01-22T10:32:21ZDomestic climate laws are essential, says UNhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/13/climate-laws-un
Legislation at national level essential because 'it is linchpin between action on the ground and international agreement'<p>Governments must enact domestic laws on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions if international efforts to stall global warming are to succeed, according to the UN's climate chief.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/13/climate-laws-un">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeEnvironmentWorld newsUnited NationsGlobal climate talksKyoto protocolGreenhouse gas emissionsSun, 13 Jan 2013 22:11:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/13/climate-laws-unHenning Kaiser/AFPAt a conference in London on Monday, Christiana Figueres, the UN climate chief, is to urge countries to set emissions targets. Photograph: Henning Kaiser/AFPFiona Harvey2013-01-13T22:11:47ZEU pushes for Kyoto protocol deal as climate talks wind downhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/08/climate-talks-kyoto-protocol-deal
Most key points resolved as delegates strive to reach agreement on 'loss and damage' compensation for poor nations<p>The EU remains hopeful of securing a deal to rescue the Kyoto protocol as climate change talks dragged on into Saturday evening in Qatar, where 195 countries have gathered to thrash out a new deal on greenhouse gas emissions.</p><p>Most of the key issues have been resolved, including a last-minute legal hitch affecting Poland. However, one sticking point emerged when Russia and Ukraine tried late in the day to reopen negotiations on the agreed text.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/08/climate-talks-kyoto-protocol-deal">Continue reading...</a>COP18 Doha climate change conferenceKyoto protocolClimate changeGlobal climate talksEnvironmentWorld newsUK newsUS newsSat, 08 Dec 2012 17:39:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/08/climate-talks-kyoto-protocol-dealKarim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesUN chief Ban Ki-moon speaks at the climate change summit in Doha. Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesKarim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesUN chief Ban Ki-moon speaks at the climate change summit in Doha. Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesFiona Harvey in Doha2012-12-08T17:39:45ZClimate change talks deadlocked on final day of UN summithttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/08/climate-change-talks-deadlocked-summit
Delegates who worked through night fail to agree on key issues such as Kyoto protocol, but remain hopeful of rescuing deal<p>Talks on a new climate deal ground on through Friday night in Qatar, as countries failed to agree on key issues including: rescuing the Kyoto protocol, finance and compensation for poor countries suffering the effects of climate change, and how to structure a proposed new global climate change agreement.</p><p>The negotiations, which have gone on for more than a fortnight, looked set to last for most of Saturday. But the marathon session left many delegates hopeful of rescuing a deal amid the frustration and confusion of the night.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/08/climate-change-talks-deadlocked-summit">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeGlobal climate talksEnvironmentKyoto protocolUK newsWorld newsQatarMiddle East and North AfricaUS newsSat, 08 Dec 2012 10:41:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/08/climate-change-talks-deadlocked-summitKarim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesDelegates attend the last day of the UN climate talks in Doha. Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesKarim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesDelegates attend the last day of the UN climate talks in Doha. Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesFiona Harvey in Doha2012-12-08T10:41:51ZWorld's nations face 'climate cliff' at Doha's COP 18 summit | Amy Goodmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/06/world-nations-climate-cliff-doha-cop18
With the Kyoto protocol about to lapse, activists are struggling to persuade politicians to re-commit to action on climate change<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/29/climate-change-catastrophe-cop18-doha">The 18th UN climate change summit</a> is taking place in the small, but immensely wealthy Gulf emirate of Qatar, the <a href="http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/sustainable-earth/pictures-ten-countries-with-the-biggest-footprints/">largest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases in the world</a>. Delegates, press, dignitaries and the legions of low-paid, foreign guest workers at the opulent Qatar National Convention Center all pass under an enormous spider, a 30ft-high cast bronze statue called &quot;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maman">Maman</a>&quot;, by the French-American sculptor Louise Bourgeois.</p><p>It was chosen by the emir's wife, and snapped up for a reported $10m. The Obama administration has been accused, rightly, of derailing the UN climate negotiations in recent years, which makes the spider an appropriate symbol, as famously described by the lines from an 1808 poem by Sir Walter Scott:</p><p>&quot;Oh! what a tangled web we weave<br />When first we practice to deceive!&quot;</p><p>&quot;We have a climate cliff … We're facing a carbon tsunami, actually, where huge amounts of carbon are now being emitted at a faster rate than ever. And it's that carbon tsunami that's likely to overwhelm the planet with warming, sea-level rise and acidifying the oceans.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The single biggest measure of success in Doha is, first and foremost, the second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol. That is something we hold very dearly, because that is the jump-off base for enhanced ambition for the whole world.&quot;</p><p>&quot;When we reach the first day of 2013, if we don't have any success here in Doha, then we end up with nothing. We end up with a … system where climate change faces a world that has not found the political will to address the climate crisis.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Doha is already infamous for dead-end trade talks. One more failure and it will be forever known as the place where global deals go to die.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Todd Stern and Jonathan Pershing have come to Doha with their needle stuck in the groove of obstructing the UN process, an art they have perfected. It is disrespectful of President Obama to inflict on us two negative negotiators who act as if the comments he made after his election were never made. He should either pick up the phone and tell his delegates to follow his lead or alternatively call them back to Washington.&quot;</p><p>&quot;No comment.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The Spider is an ode to my mother … Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. Spiders are helpful and protective.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/06/world-nations-climate-cliff-doha-cop18">Continue reading...</a>COP18 Doha climate change conferenceUnited NationsWorld newsUS newsClimate changeNatural disasters and extreme weatherEnvironmentObama administrationQatarPhilippinesBarack ObamaHurricane SandyKyoto protocolThu, 06 Dec 2012 17:06:26 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/06/world-nations-climate-cliff-doha-cop18Alan Copson/Getty ImagesTurnout at the 18th UN climate change summit in Doha, Qatar is low – as are expectations of action. Photograph: Alan Copson/Getty ImagesAlan Copson/Getty ImagesDoha: the scene is set for another round of climate change talks, but this time business leaders must make their better voices heard. Photograph: Alan Copson/Getty ImagesAmy Goodman in Doha, Qatar2012-12-06T17:06:26ZLord Stern: developing countries must make deeper emissions cutshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/04/lord-stern-developing-countries-deeper-emissions-cuts
Climate economist says developing countries must face the 'brutal arithmetic' of their responsibility for emissions<p>Developing countries must take on the lion's share of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, because of the &quot;brutal arithmetic&quot; of climate change, one of the world's leading authorities on global warming economics has said.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/04/lord-stern-developing-countries-deeper-emissions-cuts">Continue reading...</a>Greenhouse gas emissionsNicholas SternCOP18 Doha climate change conferenceClimate changeGlobal climate talksKyoto protocolEnvironmentWorld newsGlobal developmentChinaAsia PacificIndiaTue, 04 Dec 2012 07:00:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/04/lord-stern-developing-countries-deeper-emissions-cutsAlastair Grant/APLord Nicholas Stern's landmark review of the economics of climate change showed conclusively that it would be cheaper to act now on emissions than pay the costs later. Photograph: APAlastair Grant/APFiona Harvey, environment correspondent2012-12-04T07:00:06ZDoha: a strange place to host a climate-change conferencehttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2012/nov/28/doha-strange-place-climate-change-conference
Qatar makes most of its money from selling fossil fuels – and its capital is a massive consumer of state-subsidised energy<p>Holding a climate-change conference in Qatar, the country with the world's highest per capita carbon emissions, might seem like a joke, but the UN isn't renowned for its sense of humour. This year's fraught negotiations on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-carbon-emissions" title="">a replacement for the Kyoto protocol</a> are taking place in Doha, the Qatari capital, where they are fuelled by some of the most inefficient, profligate, carbon-spewing power generation in the world.</p><p>Qatar makes most of its money – GDP is $170bn (&pound;106bn) a year – from selling oil and gas. It has the world's third -biggest natural gas reserves and is the top supplier of liquefied natural gas, according to the US government's Energy Information Administration.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2012/nov/28/doha-strange-place-climate-change-conference">Continue reading...</a>COP18 Doha climate change conferenceEnvironmentClimate changeFossil fuelsKyoto protocolQatarWed, 28 Nov 2012 11:46:28 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2012/nov/28/doha-strange-place-climate-change-conferenceRobert Cianflone/Getty ImagesDoha: 'Skyscrapers, vast shopping malls, lavish apartments and swanky hotels.' Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesRobert Cianflone/Getty ImagesDoha: 'Skyscrapers, vast shopping malls, lavish apartments and swanky hotels.' Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesFiona Harvey2012-11-28T11:46:28ZDoha 2012: US claims 'enormous' efforts to cut carbon emissionshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/26/doha-2012-us-carbon-emissions
Two weeks of talks aim at securing a treaty by 2015 to cut greenhouse emissions<p>The US is claiming credit for &quot;enormous&quot; efforts on climate change – delivered in part by the carbon reductions from its investments in the controversial practice of &quot;fracking&quot; for shale gas.</p><p>The claim came as nearly <a href="http://unfccc.int/meetings/doha_nov_2012/meeting/6815.php" title="">200 governments gathered in Doha, Qatar</a>, for two weeks of talks aimed at forging an agreement on the climate. Governments have until 2015 to draw up a binding treaty, the first since the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-not-dead" title="">1997 Kyoto protocol</a>, to cut greenhouse gas emissions and avoid dangerous global warming.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/26/doha-2012-us-carbon-emissions">Continue reading...</a>COP18 Doha climate change conferenceShale gas and frackingClimate changeKyoto protocolUS newsWorld newsGlobal climate talksEnvironmentMiddle East and North AfricaQatarGreenhouse gas emissionsMon, 26 Nov 2012 21:25:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/26/doha-2012-us-carbon-emissionsEPAAlmost 200 governments are gathering in Doha in an attempt to reach an agreement on climate change. Photograph: EPAEPAAlmost 200 governments are gathering in Doha in an attempt to reach an agreement on climate change. Photograph: EPAFiona Harvey, environment correspondent2012-11-26T21:25:01ZCanada, the surprise 'pariah' of the Kyoto protocolhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/26/canada-kyoto
Some Canadians doubt whether their country should have any say in negotiating the second Kyoto protocol after it became the only nation to reject the first one<p>Of all the delegations in the room in Doha, the Canadians adopt the lowest profile. Some question whether they should be there at all: The country's first and only Green party MP, Elizabeth May, said: &quot;Having Canada in the room negotiating to weaken the second Kyoto, when we have already signalled that not only will we not be participating in taking on new targets in the second period but we're legally withdrawn from the protocol, should make us pariahs.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I can't imagine how anybody would want us in the room.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/26/canada-kyoto">Continue reading...</a>CanadaKyoto protocolGreenhouse gas emissionsCOP18 Doha climate change conferenceGlobal climate talksClimate changeAmericasEnvironmentOilCommoditiesBusinessOilEnergyFossil fuelsEnergy industryOil sandsWorld newsMon, 26 Nov 2012 18:43:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/26/canada-kyotoAndy Clark/ReutersOil city: steam rises from refineries outside Edmonton, Alberta. Photograph: Andy Clark/ReutersAndy Clark/ReutersOil city: steam rises from refineries outside Edmonton, Alberta. Photograph: Andy Clark/ReutersIsabeau Doucet in Montreal2012-11-26T18:43:06ZThe Kyoto protocol is not quite deadhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-not-dead
As phase one of the agreement comes to an end, the entrenched positions of countries must now be reconsidered<p>At recent climate change conferences, a coffin has been paraded through the halls of delegates covered in a shroud and attended by mourners. The name on the shroud: Kyoto.</p><p>It is now 15 years since the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/11/kyoto-protocol" title="">Kyoto protocol</a> was signed – the first international agreement stipulating cuts to global greenhouse gases – but the end is in sight. Phase one of the agreement comes to an end next month but while a handful of countries will begin phase two, the international community has not been able to come up with a replacement.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-not-dead">Continue reading...</a>Kyoto protocolClimate changeGlobal climate talksEnvironmentCOP18 Doha climate change conferenceWorld newsMon, 26 Nov 2012 18:23:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-not-deadMohammed Dabbous/ReutersMore than 30 countries – including the EU, Australia, Norway and Switzerland – are pledged to continue it beyond 2012, with fresh commitments to carbon cuts. Photograph: Mohammed Dabbous/ReutersMohammed Dabbous/ReutersSouth Africa's Foreign Minister and President of the (COP 17) Maite Nkoana-Mashabane speaks at the opening session of the United Nations Climate Change (COP18) in Doha November 26, 2012. Photograph: Mohammed Dabbous/ReutersFiona Harvey, environment correspondent2012-11-26T18:23:40ZThe highs and lows of 15 years of climate talks - in pictureshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2012/nov/26/highs-lows-climate-talks-in-pictures
The Kyoto protocol, signed in 1997, is the only international treaty to set legally binding targets on cutting greenhouse emissions, The governments of almost 200 countries are meeting this week in Doha, Qatar, to discuss a new treaty to succeed Kyoto, which expires at the end of the year. From Yvo's tears to Durban deadlock, we look back at the highs and lows of the last 15 years of climate talks <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2012/nov/26/highs-lows-climate-talks-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a>COP18 Doha climate change conferenceEnvironmentGlobal climate talksGreenhouse gas emissionsKyoto protocolWorld newsClimate changeYvo de BoerDurban climate change conference 2011Cancún climate change conference 2010 | COP16Bali climate change conference 2007Copenhagen climate change conference 2009Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:58:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2012/nov/26/highs-lows-climate-talks-in-picturesOmar Torres/AFP/Getty ImagesMembers of different enviromental organizations take part in a demonstration demanding Japan to keep in the Kyoto Protocol, inside the Cancun Meese convention Center, in Cancun, Mexico, on December 2, 2010. Photograph: Omar Torres/AFP/Getty ImagesJessica Aldred and Eric Hilaire2012-11-26T11:58:00ZHas the Kyoto protocol made any difference to carbon emissions?http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-carbon-emissions
The first phase of Kyoto, the only international binding treaty on emissions cuts, has failed to slow global carbon emissions<p>Under the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/11/kyoto-protocol">Kyoto protocol</a> most developed nations other than the US committed themselves to targets for cutting or slowing their emissions of the key greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The targets varied between nations. Some were allowed to increase their emissions by a certain amount; others were required to make significant cuts. The average target was a cut of around 5% relative to 1990 levels by 2012 (or more accurately 2008–12).</p><p>To give a sense of how countries have performed against their targets, in the charts below we've plotted the gap between each nation's percentage target (data from <a href="http://unfccc.int/ghg_data/kp_data_unfccc/base_year_data/items/4354.php">here</a>) and its actual percentage change between 1990 and 2010 (data from <a href="http://unfccc.int/ghg_data/ghg_data_unfccc/items/4146.php">here</a>). So for example if a nation had a -10% target but its emissions increased by 10% it scores -20, of if it had a 5% target but cut by 15% it scores 10.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-carbon-emissions">Continue reading...</a>Kyoto protocolEnvironmentGreenhouse gas emissionsClimate changeMon, 26 Nov 2012 10:39:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-carbon-emissionsKatsumi Kasahara/APVice president Al Gore, centre, shakes hands with the Japanese prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto at talks in Kyoto, Japan. The US signed but subsequently refused to ratify the treaty. Photograph: Katsumi Kasahara/APKatsumi Kasahara/APVice President Al Gore, center, shakes hands with former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, right, as former Japanese Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi looks on prior to their talks in Kyoto, Japan, on December 8, 1997. Photograph: Katsumi Kasahara/APDuncan Clark2012-11-26T10:39:00Z